Determining Your Ideal Audience: Who Can Learn the Most from What You Have to Say?

When you have a new product or a service to sell, you need to promote it in order to find potential customers. If buyers don’t know about it, they can’t buy it.

As an author or a speaker, you have an enormous audience in front of you. How you approach this group is important. One size does not fit all. You cannot successfully reach everyone at once.

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Before writing or speaking to an audience, it’s critical that you know as much about them as you can. All audiences are not the same. This means you need to tailor your communication to fit your audience. It’ll require a little extra work, but the rewards will be worth it in the end. The success of your brand depends on it.

Write a short description of the audience you are trying to reach. Examples are young couples looking to save money for retirement, or women across the world looking to learn more about self-defense, or retired schoolteachers looking for inexpensive vacation destinations.

Use the questions below to help you determine your audience.

What Is Your Audience Like?

• Are they older or younger? If your audience is younger, they may prefer flashy graphics and animation in your presentation. An older audience may prefer a simple and subdued look.
• Are they male or female? Know whether you’re trying to reach one or the other, or both.
• Do they live locally, nationwide, or worldwide? If you are targeting a small, local audience, then your audience is already pretty well-defined. If you plan to reach a larger audience, or even worldwide, you should plan accordingly. Don’t use slang, as it doesn’t always translate well into other languages or cultures.
• What is their income? Make sure the audience you are targeting is able to afford your product.
• What education have they received? Consider whether your audience will consist of blue-collar workers or professionals with post-graduate degrees.
• Are they married, single, divorced, or widowed? Know which group best fits your target audience.
• Do they have children? If you think there may be children in your audience, take them into consideration. Don’t present anything that may be inappropriate. If you have sensitive material, warn the audience prior to and during the presentation.

What Is Your Audience Looking For?

• Do they want to learn something from you? If you have advice or information to sell, you need to reach the people who are most likely to use it.
• Are they looking to be entertained? Your audience may simply want to sit back and relax for a bit.

What Is Their Lifestyle?

• What are their political convictions? Even if it doesn’t affect your marketing approach, know the political tendencies of your audience.
• What is their daily routine like? Your audience may prefer the hustle and bustle of an 18-hour day, or they may prefer a more relaxed schedule that allows them to take it easy.
• What do they wear? A lawyer in New York will wear suits and ties, whereas a music teacher in Georgia may wear chinos. Dress in the same manner as your audience.

As you market your brand, remember it’s very important to make a personal connection with your audience. You need to meet them where they are. If you don’t market to specific audiences, you won’t be able to communicate with them. If you can’t communicate with them, you can’t sell to them.